ABSTRACT Alien plants are often introduced to new areas for their ornamental value, making gardens and cities a major source of invasive alien species. The aim of the study was to determine how anthropogenic factors affect the interactions between invasive plants and pathogenic fungi in urban environments. Three different species of invasive plants were studied: Padus serotina , Spiraea tomentosa and Acer negundo in different habitats in Poland. Between 2017 and 2019, data on disease severity (DSI) and fungal abundance on leaves and seeds were collected and analysed using two generalised linear models (GLMs) to compare DSI and fungal diversity. Additionally, a generalised linear mixed model (GLMM) was used to compare fungal abundance on seeds. The results showed that plants in urban areas had an increased DSI compared to plants in more natural habitats. In addition, air pollution, particularly SO 2 and PM10 and PM2.5 particulate matter, had a negative effect on DSI, suggesting that air pollution may reduce fungal disease. In contrast, increased sunlight, higher temperatures and greater distance from water negatively impacted plant health. Moreover, seeds from urban plants showed higher fungal diversity and greater abundance of primary pathogens, including Fusarium spp., suggesting that urban areas may serve as favourable habitats for pathogen development. The study highlights the complex interaction between anthropogenic factors, invasive plants and fungal pathogens, suggesting that urban areas may facilitate the development and spread of plant pathogens. It may also shed light on the conditions that influence the domestication process of invasive alien plants.
Patejuk et al. (Mon,) studied this question.